I'm very leery of all of those, if for no other reason than the extreme scrutiny and pressure that will be placed on the #1 overall.

Are you expecting the Falcons to think their 2015 #1 is going to be low? Otherwise, I don't see that scenario playing out. I would think their 2015 #2 would be the best we could hope for.

I also don't understand naming specific players when we have no clue who will actually be available at those spots. I'm anal like that, though. I hate hearing "an Andrew Luck". There's only one Andrew Luck. "A player with similar qualities as Andrew Luck" is how it should be phrased. Like I said, I'm anal about stuff like that.

According to Bryan Broaddus of the Cowboys’ official website, the news is even better now for Easley, though the timeline might be a bit later than he originally imagined.

Quote:

Medical report on Easley turned out well. Rehab has been positive and is making progress to be ready at some point during training camp.
— Bryan Broaddus (@BryanBroaddus) April 30, 2014

And if that’s the case, it’s entirely possible that Easley’s final landing spot in the draft could be the bottom of the first round. The 49ers, who pick 30th overall, and the Seahawks, who pick 32nd, have shown that they’ll take players who don’t have a high probability of playing in their first seasons...

Many projected the Texans to reach with the first-overall pick for a quarterback over the past few months, but the Texans are now extremely likely to take the draft's best player, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the first-overall pick. We've heard that barring a mega trade of draft picks similar to the Robert Griffin III package two years ago, the Texans will go with Clowney.

With Clowney being evident as the first pick, many have now assumed that the Texans would take a quarterback to start off the second round. However, we've also learned from sources that the Texans are considering waiting on a quarterback until the third or fourth round.

Houston believes that a good player with a firm first-round grade will fall to pick No. 33, and the team would be better off taking that player with a quarterback coming later. The talent at 33 could be too good to pass on a player that they don't consider to be a franchise quarterback - in which they say that it is plausible they wait to nab a signal-caller until the third round.

So what could Houston do at No. 33 if it doesn't take a quarterback? Some of the talented players that could be there include Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley, Minnesota defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman, Notre Dame defensive tackle Louis Nix and defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

The Texans needed an inside linebacker in the 2013 draft and didn't land one. Mosley would be a great fit in their defense next to Brian Cushing. A front seven that includes Clowney, J.J. Watt, Cushing and Mosley could be tremendous. They also need a five-technique defensive end after losing Antonio Smith this offseason. Hageman and Tuitt could fill that role, while Nix would meet the need for a nose tackle in Romeo Crennel's defense.

Offensively, some of the candidates to fall to Round 2 and cause the Texans to wait on a quarterback include USC wide receiver Marqise Lee, Oregon State Brandin Cooks, Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde and LSU running back Jeremy Hill. Houston needs a slot receiver for O'Brien's offense. They also need a young back to pair with Arian Foster.

If the Texans wait until the third round to take a quarterback, the potential targets could be Pitt's Tom Savage and Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas. Both have plus skill sets for O'Brien to work with. Taking Savage or Thomas could provide them with a more talented roster and avoid reaching for a quarterback above their appropriate draft slot.

If Houston doesn't like the first-round prospects who fall to day two, they could decide to take a quarterback like Louisville's Teddy Bridewater or Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo. The Texans are also open to trading down in the second round and adding more picks to address the holes on their roster.

An interesting article was published just 1 week ago. The study investigated the rate of 2nd ACLs within 2 years of return to play in young athletes involved in pivoting and cutting sports (the mechanism that accounted for both of Easley's NON_CONTACT ACL tears). No previous study has focused on this aspect, an though this study included younger athletes ~17-20 years of age, it probably holds reasonable validity to NFL athletes. In this study, males had a 10.5% chance of suffering a same-side ACL tear within 2 years of their 1st, and a 10.5% chance of suffering an opposite-side ACL tear within 2 years of the 1st.

Especially with this new additional information, I would be guarded re. this 290+ pound (would possibly be asked to gain another 10 pounds when in the NFL) man's future knee status following 2 ACL tears/repairs.

Offensively, some of the candidates to fall to Round 2 and cause the Texans to wait on a quarterback include USC wide receiver Marqise Lee, Oregon State Brandin Cooks, Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde and LSU running back Jeremy Hill. Houston needs a slot receiver for O'Brien's offense. They also need a young back to pair with Arian Foster.

The only player in that paragraph I would consider at 2.1 is Cooks. He would create matchup nightmares for defenses. Also there are a lot of quality backs in this draft. No need to use that high of a pick on one.

__________________
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." Albert Einstein